“I didn’t know he would propose today and I didn’t expect myself to marry myself out so early.”

An emotional moment a Chinese diver bursts into tears after missing out on gold as her boyfriend went down on one knee during the medal ceremony.

He Zi was visibly gutted with being awarded the silver medal after losing out on the top spot in the three-metre diving competition to Shi Tingmao on Sunday.

However, her disappointment was quickly replaced with unbridled joy on the podium as her boyfriend and teammate Qin Kai turned up with a red rose.

Interrupting the medal ceremony, the 30-year-old diver pulled out a diamond ring and asked Zi to marry him.

Bursting into tears, the silver medalist accepted the proposal as she threw herself into his arms for a hug.

Speaking after the touching moment, 25-year-old Zi said: “I didn’t know he would propose today and I didn’t expect myself to marry myself out so early.

“I saw him during the afternoon and he seemed to be memorising something, so I asked him ‘what are you doing?’ and he said he was singing.

“I’ve forgotten most of what he’s said (during the proposal), but it’s largely what you can expect like promises, but what touched me the most is that he said he was willing to be bullied by me for life.”

Tingmao, who beat her newly-engaged rival to gold, revealed she had known about Mr Kai’s plans to propose during the Rio Games.

She said: “I’m really happy for them, because these years, be it career or relationships-wise, they have had to face a lot of pressure.